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Tips and Tricks
BREAD
Bread can be a daunting task- there are loads of things to worry about in between all the kneading, proving and shaping, but as long as you use your instincts (and practice a little), you will end up with something to be proud of.
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1. Don’t feel you have to follow the exact measurements in recipes
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Everybody’s flour is different- some may need a little more or less water than others, so add as much as you think you need. I also add a bit less flour than a recipe first states, because its much easier to knead in more flour than more water. It’s also good to know that a stickier dough often bakes better than a stiff one.
2. Knead like your life depends on it
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I used to be really slap-dash with my kneading, since I often couldn’t be bothered to use that much energy for my bread. But now, I try to knead for at least 8-10 minutes (the longer the better, really). The more you knead, the stronger the gluten strands in your flour will become, which makes it easier for your bread dough to grow and hold in pockets of air.
3. When kneading, don’t get scared by how sticky it can get
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Often when you start kneading, the dough is super sticky and unmanageable- but please don’t add more flour just yet. Obviously, if it is super runny and doesn’t look like a bread dough, then of course sprinkle some in, but otherwise, just keep kneading for 5 or so minutes and see how it comes along. Most of the time, the flour just needs some time to absorb the water, so after a few minutes, it should start resembling a supple, smooth dough.
4. Check to see if your yeast is alive
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Nothing’s worse than leaving your dough to rise and coming back to see it hasn’t risen. Even with instant yeast, I usually activate it with some sugar in some warm (a touch warmer than lukewarm) water, to give it some time to get happy and froth up. If it doesn’t after 10 minutes or so, it’s a good sign that your yeast is too old, or the water isn’t the right temp.
5. Some additional ingredients to keep in mind
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Yoghurt- although not necessary, I find that adding yoghurt makes your final bread fluffier and more tender. But if you want to make an open-crumb artisan style loaf, maybe hold off on the yoghurt.
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Baking powder- this again isn’t necessary because you’ve already got yeast as a raising agent in your dough, but what have you got to lose- at least by adding it, you’ve got a backup plan if all goes wrong.
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Oil- using a fat in bread keeps your crumb tender and prevents it from going stale super quickly. If you want a richer dough, you can add larger amounts of oil or butter.
CAKE
Now, I don't know cakes as well as I know bread, but there are still a few things I encourage you to keep in mind-
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1. Try to follow measurements from recipes
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Of course, a couple of grams or spoons extra or less of something isn't going to result in a drastic change, but at least when you stick to measurements, you know your cake is going to turn out great. Remember that baking is a science!
2. Cream for longer than you think
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Creaming butter and sugar allows your cake to aerate properly, so before you add your eggs, make sure to really push the creaming time, so that it becomes super pale and fluffy- it should nearly be white. But then again, I shouldn't really be talking, because most of the time I don't have the patience to keep it creaming for too long ahah
3. Don't be scared to mix the egg in for longer
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A bit of science for you- in order to keep the air in your cake, you need the proteins in the cake to be properly 'deformed', so that they are able to become the walls of little air pockets in the cake batter. To do this, (it's called denaturation), you need to give the egg a good mixing, so that the proteins in the egg start to change shape. So after you've added your egg to your creamed butter and sugar, don't just mix till combined, beat for a good few minutes. You should see the mixture becoming paler in colour and thicker after mixing for an extra couple of minutes, which is what you want.
4. Try your ingredients at room temp
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Again, I'm not great at doing this either, but its always good to try to use your butter/eggs/milk when its not super cold. This is because its easier to aerate/denature/mix in these ingredients when they're room temperature, so they'll ultimately give you a better end result.
5. Mix with a light hand
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A cake is definitely not a bread dough- you don't want to to develop any gluten, which is what makes things really elastic and springy. When mixing in your flour, mix till just combined. But then again, you don't want any huge pockets of flour, so don't undermix either (cakes are very temperamental, I know).
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